Tag Archives: Audio

Just received this awesome comment on YouTube on the Chony Milecki interview video we just released. This guy gets it and as he mentions in text below he is a Baal Teshuva so I am including this audio highlight (below) about how amazing Baal Teshuvas are.

Comment:

I’ve been following Rabbi Friedman’s videos on this subject for a few months… since moving to Brooklyn and encountering very learned yeshivish guys who are really stuck on this concept of Hashem being perfect, therefore he doesn’t need us or our mitzvahs. So why do we do them? Because He told us to, and our logic is not His logic, so we can’t possibly understand and shouldn’t try. As a BT who became more observant through Chabad, it was a bit of a shock for me to discover that highly learned yidden had such an essential conflict with the idea of our being in a true relationship with Hashem. Because, if Hashem doesn’t need and doesn’t care, it’s not a relationship! So what are you doing all this for? This subject cuts through whatever learning a person has achieved, and really goes to the root of a one’s faith. Over several videos (one of Manis and another Rav addressing the questions of Crown Heights chabadnik bochers, another of yeshivish bochers in Eretz Yisrael, etc.), I received a glimpse of a way to address this line of reasoning, but this was by far the best, most complete exposition of his thoughts to date. Thank you to Rabbi Friedman and the 11213 crew for coming back to this issue again and again.

This class was given right at the Maaras Hamachpeilah and is absolutely fundamental for understanding Chassidus. Sorry for all of the background noise there was a lot activity there as you can imagine.

For the longest time there was a point of resistance that was hard to overcome to fully appreciate the idea that G-d Needs our Mitzvos and I heard it from people all the time. It was based on the following posuk:

“Sof davar hakol nishma et-ha’Elokim yira, v’et-mitzvotaiv shemor ki-ze kol ha’adam.” The sum of the matter, when all is said and done: Revere G-d and observe His commandments! For this applies to all mankind.

Kohelet12:13

Based on this it seems that G-d is not really vulnerable because it will happen eventually. However, I took the time to sit down with Rabbi Manis and record this 9 min audio and it became clear as to what vulnerability really means.